


Nuts or Bolts

by Xtawn_Squad



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Gen, Robots, bear with me, dave is a robot, dirk is an engineer, the story will go places
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-06-09 12:43:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6907768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xtawn_Squad/pseuds/Xtawn_Squad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A robot lays in his master’s workshop. It just so happens today, the 19th of August, 2059 is the day the robot’s original body was killed. And though it was though it was four years he was deprived of life, today he will be given life again as a cold mashing.</p><p>>Wake up Dave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first Homestuck fan fic. I hope everyone likes it.
> 
> I kinda thinking of stuff as I go and trying to think outside the box. HOPE YOU ENJOY.

A young engineer looks at his creation and reflects on his life

He started building robots when he was very young and hasn't stopped since. When his older bro noticed this young man’s abilities surpassed most of the big name industries, they worked together to create their own business. The eldest brother acted as CEO, managing everything our special engineer was too young to take care of while the engineer invented new robots for the public. The company is now four years old and making robots better than Crocker Corp.

And the company all started with the engineer and his younger brother dumpster diving for metal and computer parts. These three brothers were abandoned when the engineer was a toddler, the eldest did everything to keep his baby brothers alive and when they were old enough to learn, he taught his little brothers to stay tough no matter what. When one of the brothers showed an interest in robots he started to build things from the stuff he found in the local dumpsters. He started built weird barely functional contraptions but after a couple visits to the public library, the engineer got better, much better. 

Now after ten years and at age sixteen, he was ready to do his crowning achievement as an engineer.

On the outside, it looks like nothing more than a very humanoid, combat bot. A titanium based exterior barely decorated aside from the head peace. Underneath the tough outside, the robot was equipped with a cool looking energy sword stored he can draw from a large arc reactor in his chest and wings meant to resemble a bird but kind ended up like Falcon from the marvel comic, but dispute the awesome gear, combat was far from the bot’s main function.

After the engineer programmed his brain into a pair of sunglasses three years ago, he has experimented with other AIs of both close friend and strangers with good results. He programmed his bots to function more like humans through realistic actions and physical quirks. Business boomed, as a result, happy customers proclaimed that the human charm is way better than the stoic robots of past. With all this technology and research, the engineer has had one end goal in mind.

After his youngest brother's thirteenth birthday, he became very sick with a rare disease and despite the older brothers best efforts, he died. The engineer, more than anything, wanted his brother back and even then, standing by the side of his sickbed, he knew he would have to do it with the skills in engineering he was gifted with to bring him back.

The engineer looked at the robot, he did his best to make the headpiece look like the brother he lost, a square head structure, firm cheekbones, narrow eyes, thin lips but not exactly a gross thin, a tall nose, his "hair"(interlocking nanobots that look solid to the human eye, but ruffle and change with touch) even swooped in the same way. It captured the oriental so well but there was still something missing, maybe it's the soft, pale skin that flushed so easily, but there was no way to bring back his skin or the softness of his youth, but that young engineer can re-animate his brother and get back the life he lost.

He stopped zoning out and activates the machinery to turn on his robot, it roared to life and the engineer feels the energy surging through the wires. The LEDs turned from dead gray to red. A spark in the arc reactor builds into a blaze. The city lights outside flicker, the engineer wonders if the city is used the short blackouts that come from his experiments, eventually everything goes back to normal and the engines shut down.

The engineer stands silently and looks desperately at the robot. A word single, trembling word leaves his mouth.

"Dave..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are now Dave.

Your name is Dave Strider. All the memories and information you've gained flood through your head and then settle into your subconscious, that's pretty weird but you'll roll with it. Now, what's going on?

 

==> Dave: examine.

 

Your eyes open and you see Dirk, your older brother, in some kind of workshop. Several robot parts, robot prototypes, and one or two smuppets lay around in the background, Dirk seems to have aged a bit and to be on the brink of tears and looks at you with a melancholy smile. Even with his presence you have this feeling like you should be somewhere else, where or why you shouldn't be here, you can’t answer but you just feel like you're at the wrong place.

 

It’s suggested you ask Dirk lots of questions.

 

==> Dave: ask some questions.

 

“Bro, where am I? What’s going on? Are you ok, you seem really sad?” You say. The voice is yours and the tone had the brotherly concern you intended it to have, but the words come out a bit computerized. You don't dwell on it, your prime concern is to understand what's going on.

 

Your brother's smile brightens, "You’re at my new workshop, well I’ve had this place for a while but that's the way I wanted to say that when you…” Dirk’s voice was filled with joy until he stops himself. “What is the last thing you remember Dave?”

 

The question odds you out first but you do remember and tell the whole story out loud, “I was sitting on my bed in the hospital, you and Bro by my side. The doctor was telling us something but I tuned it out. Maybe by reading your faces I could tell it was bad news or I zoned out because I was so tired. I think we were holding hands but I felt so energy deprived, I knew had to let go and take my nap. Then I went to sleep and then nothing...”

 

The story and the words suddenly make you realize something awful that you need to blurt out.

 

==> Dave: blurt out feelings.

 

“I died, didn't I?”

 

Dirk was silent, his face thoughtful, void of any emotions. He walks up to you and unstraps from whatever it is you’re laying down on. You didn't even notice you were strapped to a table or that you were laying down on anything.

 

==> Dave: change position.

 

You sit up and look at your brother over the side of the worktable. This feels better or maybe not, you don't really know anymore.

 

“What happened after I died?” You ask simply.

 

Dirk can’t face you, his face still and emotionless. He says in a monotone “There is a bathroom right there,” he points to a dull gray door “there's a really big mirror you can check out.”

 

==> Dave: check mirror.

 

You rush into the bathroom. It’s bigger than the one in your apartment but it’s not too different, the only things that set the bathroom apart are the bath replacing the shower and the mirror which like three times the size of the apartment one.You, of course, don't notice these details because you're too busy looking at your new robotic appearance.

 

You're practically speechless, so many things are dawning on you that you can barely explain it with words, but that's ok, putting your thoughts in words is the narrator’s job and god dammit I’m gonna do my job, so Dave sit tight and stare at you reflection for thirty minutes while I share your private thoughts.

 

Your first thought is a series of you nitpicking your brother’s flaws trying to capture your beautiful face. Is my head really that square? He should have made my nose smaller. For once bro can you paint your robots, I’m practically worthless without my gorgeous complexion. These thoughts are abandoned as more pressing matters dawn on you.

 

You died. Somewhere there a body that was you is rotating in a coffin. To you, it feels like yesterday but it probably was a long time ago. Should you ask Dirk about your funeral or well at visiting your grave, but that honestly sounds really weird and ironic which makes you chuckle a bit.

 

You are a robot. Your entire brain is inside a robot, but there are so many things robots can’t do that people can, but you don't really know what you can or can't do. So far all you know is that you can't feel anything which sounds awful and will probably get worse. You probably can't eat or drink either, say goodbye apple juice. 

 

Finally, you realize you are a freak. No one wants to befriend or love a robot, everyone will see you as nothing but a stupid hunk of metal...

 

Before you can finish that train of thought, Dirk catches you attention by entering the bathroom. He seems so notice the look of terror on your face, he always got emotionless when something upsets him (unless he goes off the deep end), it's simply the Strider way. You should tell him how you feel.

 

==> Dave: talk to Dirk

 

“Why? Why did you rebuild me as a robot?!” You say with heartbroken. If you could cry, I’d imagine you would right now.

 

“I don't know,” Dirk’s mouth twisting into a frown “nothing was the same after you died. Without you, it’s too quiet. I blamed myself for letting you die and with the money I earned making robots I did four years of reach into making AI’s out of human brains because I knew that there was a way to bring you back.”

 

“But look at the cost of that, I can no longer feel, and I can't eat or drink, and now I'm an outcast...”

 

“Don't say those things even though they're true,” Dirk was yelling now “I can't lose you again bro! Don't let me go through all this trouble just to be rejected! I understood that there were risks bringing you back this way but can you suck it up for me and Bro!”

 

As a tears fall down your bro’s cheeks, it dawns on you how selfish you are. You never consider what Dirk or Bro may have gone through to get their little bro back. You should be ashamed of yourself and you are.

 

==> Dave: go to your room

 

You run off, out of the bathroom out of the workshop, hating yourself every step of the way.

 

At the bottom of the stairs was an apartment not unlike the one you grew up in. Using your memory, you find your bedroom. The room is not as messy as you normally leave it, everything you ever owned is still in its place, even your kickass turntables.

  
You walk up to you bedside draw and open to see the aviator sunglasses you got for your last birthday. You equip the glasses because even as a robot, you're just too cool to not walk around everywhere you go with a pair of shades on your face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took a while to update, I hope the next time will not be so slow.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read my fic. I'm open to any type of feedback because it's the best way to keep me going. 
> 
> <3<3<3


End file.
